Release : The Herbaliser - Take London
Artist : The Herbaliser
Album : Take London
Genre : Electronic
Source : CDDA
Label : Ninja Tune
URL : http://www.ninjatune.com/
Date : 2005-06-06
Encoder : LAME 3.90.3 / alt-preset standard
Quality : 191kbps 44100 kHz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 5
Time : 17:14 min
Size : 24.71
1 More Tea, More Beer 2:33
2 Meteroic 2:49
3 I Am 4:06
4 How To Keep A Girlfriend 4:14
5 None Other 3:32
Despite the geezer-like spoken-word intro ('London is there for the taking. A
rich city: food, women, gold...') Take London resists the temptation to
degenerate into some Guy Ritchie musical fantasy. Instead it emerges as a worthy
successor to Something Wicked This Way Comes, the Herbaliser's classic brit-hop
statement of 2002.
The album is split 50/50 between the sort of souped-up cinematic instrumentals
that would have got labelled Acid Jazz a decade ago and tracks featuring a
succession of top quality vocalists, making this is a tailor-made album for
cruising over Waterloo Bridge at midnight. Preferably in a blacked-out mini with
a Union Jack painted on the roof.
That said, it's not that the duo of Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba are about to do
anything particularly original. Their blend of jazz, funk and beats has made
little progression in a decade; but whatever they produce has always been
executed with admirable levels of wit, panache and style.
Such traits are evident throughout Take London. "Nah'mean Nah'm Sayin' " might
read like Mickey Pierce jamming with Chas & Dave, but actually features the
talents of rising US star Jean Grae (the rapper formerly knows as What What).
She does cockney pretty well, incidentally. Meanwhile, closing track "Serge" is
a soundalike tribute to France's most famous advocate of the Gitane. Well,
London is an international city these days...
Grae appears on three other cuts, but better still are contributions from
Nottingham-based rapper Cappo ("Failures No Option") and a typically
showstealing turn from Roots Manuva on "Lord, Lord". Still the most identifiable
voice in UK hip hop, Manuva's skanking tale of temptation and regret is worth
the price admission price alone.
Occasionally the instrumentals stray a mite close to JTQ territory, but the
eight-minute "Sonofanothamutha" is epically inventive, while "Song For Mary"
bops like MoWax did in 1996. This is probably what Wherry and Teeber do best.
Concise and funky, slinking and swinging - you could believe Cool Britannia had
risen again.
The Bonus CD...
Enjoy...
Thx To Support Artists!
If You Like It ! Buy It ! :)
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